From 2006 to 2012, the Mac Pro from Apple stuck with the same aluminum case, first made popular by the Power Mac G5. Now, the Mac Pro returns with a completely redesigned look. Apple revisited the architecture of the Mac Pro's internal components in order to maximize performance and minimize heat. With a unified thermal core, Apple opted for a leaner, lighter, and quieter structure that was more streamlined. The unique cylinder design stands just 9.9 inches tall with a diameter of just 6.6 inches, which allows it to be a professional workstation that can actually sit on your desk.

The system is powered by a quad-core 3.7 GHz Intel Xeon E5 processor. The Mac Pro also has 12GB of 1866 MHz DDR3 ECC RAM and 256GB of PCIe-based flash storage. There are also dual AMD FirePro D300 graphics cards with 2GB of GDDR5 discrete VRAM each. You'll be able to connect to the Internet with fast-speed 802.11ac Wi-Fi. The Mac Pro also supports a/b/g/n Wi-Fi networks as well. The Mac Pro also features built-in Bluetooth 4.0, which allows you to connect wireless headphones, keyboard, mice and other compatible peripherals without a hassle.

The Mac Pro has six Thunderbolt 2 ports, a high-speed interface that can move data at up to 20 Gb/s. That's four times the speed of the USB 3.0 standard. Speaking of USB 3.0, Apple added four USB 3.0 ports to ensure you have full native connectivity options with your USB-compatible peripherals, such as external hard drives.

iLife has a complete suite of digital creativity applications. Easy enough for anyone to use, iLife will help you edit your home movies, organize digital photos and compose original music. iLife includes iPhoto, iMovie and GarageBand.

iWork provides three apps to keep you productive. Pages allow you to make creative word documents. Numbers helps you make spreadsheets more visually insightful. Keynote allows you to create a powerful presentation, complete with animated charts, interactive tables with cinematic effects and transitions.

This Mac Pro features a 3.7 GHz Intel Xeon E5 processor with quad cores of processing power on a single die. And with 10MB of L3 cache, 40 GB/s of PCI Express Gen 3 bandwidth, and 256-bit-wide floating-point instructions, you'll never be at a loss for speed.

Dual AMD FirePro D300 Graphics Cards

Traditionally, professional computers have relied primarily on the CPU for their computing power. But as GPU performance has dramatically increased, software developers have begun to leverage that power in their apps. With the Mac Pro, Apple engineered an even more powerful GPU architecture. Not only does it feature a state-of-the-art AMD FirePro workstation-class GPU - it features two of them. And each is available with 2GB of dedicated VRAM and 1280 stream processors. With 4 teraflops of computing power between the two, you'll be able to do things like seamlessly edit full-resolution 4K video while simultaneously rendering effects in the background - and still have enough power to connect up to three high-resolution 4K displays.

Memory

Every component in the Mac Pro is optimized for performance. That includes a four-channel DDR3 memory controller running at 1866 MHz. It supports 12GB of memory and delivers up to 60 GB/s of memory bandwidth, which means you can fly through even the most compute-intensive tasks in no time. And since it's ECC memory, your render job, video export, or simulation won't be stopped by transient memory errors.

Design

Apple reorganized the architecture of the internal components as well as the entire enclosure of the Mac Pro. Its unique cylinder design is made with refined impact extrusion technologies for effective material use and a polished aluminum enclosure. It stands at just 9.9 inches tall with a diameter of just 6.6 inches, allowing you to place it on your desk.

Storage

The Mac Pro has next-generation PCIe-based flash storage, which is up to 2.4 times faster than the fastest SATA-based solid state drive and up to 10 times faster than a 7200 rpm SATA hard drive. Most flash storage systems that connect via SATA buses are designed for slower spinning hard drives. But Apple designed the Mac Pro around new PCIe-based flash controller technology, which delivers the fastest solid state drives available standard in a desktop computer. So you'll have 256GB of storage that will let you boot up, launch apps, and even open massive files almost instantly.

Thermal Core

Rather than using multiple heat sinks and fans to cool the processor and graphics cards, Apple built everything around a single piece of extruded aluminum designed to maximize airflow as well as thermal capacity. It works by conducting heat away from the CPU and GPUs and distributing that heat uniformly across the core. That way, if one processor isn't working as hard as the others, the extra thermal capacity can be shared efficiently among them.

Fan

Instead of adding extra fans, Apple engineered a single, larger fan that pulls air upward through a bottom intake. As air passes vertically through the center of the device, it absorbs heat and carries it out the top. By minimizing air resistance throughout the system, Apple was able to design a fan with backward-curved impeller blades that runs at fewer revolutions per minute, draws air more efficiently as it spins, and creates considerably less noise.

Expansion

Designed with built-in Thunderbolt 2, USB 3.0, Gigabit Ethernet, and HDMI 1.4 ports, the Mac Pro provides flexible, high-performance expansion. And it has everything you need to build a workstation completely customized to what you need and how you work.

Thunderbolt 2

Thunderbolt 2 combines PCI Express and DisplayPort into one high-speed, versatile I/O technology. Thunderbolt 2 delivers twice the throughput, providing up to 20 Gb/s of bandwidth to each external device. So you're more than ready for the next generation of high-performance peripherals, without being limited by the number of expansion slots inside your computer. You can connect massive amounts of storage, add a PCI expansion chassis, and work with the latest external displays - including 4K desktop displays and peripheral devices capable of broadcasting in 4K. And since each Thunderbolt 2 port allows you to daisy-chain up to six peripherals, you can go all out by plugging in up to 36 external devices via Thunderbolt 2 alone. Mac Pro supports a total of two DVI or HDMI displays when connected via the built-in HDMI port or using the Apple Mini DisplayPort to DVI adapter. To connect additional DVI displays, use an active DVI adapter such as the Apple Mini DisplayPort to Dual-Link DVI adapter. You can connect up to six active adapter DVI displays. This requires a powered USB hub since Mac Pro offers four USB ports and you will need six to connect them all.

I/O Connections

The Mac Pro equips you with all kinds of connections for all kinds of peripherals. USB 3.0 gives you the versatility to hook up dozens of different types of external devices. Two Gigabit Ethernet ports let you connect to multiple networks. And an HDMI 1.4 port provides support for the high-definition televisions, projectors, and displays, including Ultra HD TVs. As you rotate Mac Pro to plug in a device, it senses the movement and automatically illuminates the I/O panel. So you can easily see the ports you need when you need them.

Wireless

Access your network over three-stream 802.11ac Wi-Fi for high-speed wireless connectivity. For all your other wireless connections, the Mac Pro includes Bluetooth 4.0. It's the easiest way to connect your keyboard, mouse, and other wireless devices without having to physically attach anything.